I ask you to be mine
by Obsidian Abyss
Summary: Akashi was an 18 year old college student who took a part time job as coach of the Seirin Basketball team. With rumors spreading about the Generation of Miracles going to different schools and crazy players who want to excel in the sport he once loved, he expected ridiculous incidents, problems and unexpected adventures to happen but not to fall in love with a certain bluenette.
1. Chapter 1

I ask you to be mine

Full Plot: Akashi Seijuro was an 18 year old college student who took a part time job as coach of the Seirin Basketball team. With rumors spreading about the Generation of Miracles going to different schools and crazy players who want to excel in the sport he once loved but now hated, he expected ridiculous incidents, problems and unexpected adventures to happen but not to fall in love with a certain bluenette.

Pairing: _Eventual _Akashi x Kuroko

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story plot.

Warning: **Slightly AU**(because really, imagine the Generation of Miracles without Akashi but with Haisaki (He's not the captain of the team though)

**Dark-ish** (you'll see why in the future)

AN: It took a long time for this one to be posted but here it is! I made sure to make it long since I made you all wait. If you're interested in Time travel stories, I have made a fanfic about Kuroko going back in time. It's on my page if you're interested

* * *

_There was a basketball team in Teiko Middle School that had 5 members that had talents you would only see once every ten years. They could be called the strongest and the best of their generation in this sport. But there is this strange rumor, that there was another person in the team who was the whole reason as to why the team was the best. He was the rumored phantom of the Generation of Miracles…._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

A crimson eyed young man walked quietly along the block, on his way to Seirin High School. The school had only opened last year so it was expected that all their facilities were new and clean. There were only 1st years and 2nd years attending the school as of now so there weren't many clubs that have formed yet.

'_That didn't include the Basketball club though._' The man thought with slight irritation.

Akashi Seijuro, an eighteen year old college student who could be doing something more productive as of this moment, was asked by the principal for a 'simple' favor.

To coach Seirin's basketball team.

He didn't accept to do it willingly because he didn't want to do anything related to basketball. Incidents in the past led him to no longer be fond of the sport he had once loved.

It was very unfortunate that he owed the old man for helping him out before and Akashi dearly wished that the man would've asked for something else.

The red head sighed. What's done is done and he has to deal with this new job (at least it gave him a good salary). His persuasion tricks were for the first time defeated which was a big blow to his pride. Though he had to admit, the odds were against him at that time.

After researching about the team he had found out a lot of interesting things. Apparently a year ago when the Basketball team was newly formed by Kiyoshi Teppei (one of the uncrowned kings) with the unwilling help of Hyuga (who was now the captain of the team) and his best friend, Izuki. They had managed to convince enough people to join the club and also gained a very capable manager. The team was doing very well until the Interhigh finals where they went against Kirisaki Daichi High.

It was a very close fight but they lost due to Kiyoshi getting injured during the match by Hanamiya Makoto, also one of the uncrowned kings and was known for his foul and underhanded play. Kiyoshi was hospitalized and was to stay there for at least a year.

Akashi knew that the team had a lot of potential. The manager, Aida Riko, had the ability to scan people and bring out every physical detail about that person. She can determine the height, speed, weight, strength and flexibility of a person plus point out the faults and strengths of individual body parts.

With that ability she was able to train her team of first years for less than a year to become good enough to reach the Interhigh finals. That itself was impressive. It was very unfortunate that their best player had to go down which lead to their fall. That was something he would have to fix.

Seirin would have to learn how to rely on their selves individually and as a team. They shouldn't concentrate on just one person.

And now, with the legendary _Generation of Miracles_ out there and all separated in different schools, he certainly had his work cut out for him. Not only did he have to keep up with his studies in college, he also had to coach a team who had just lost their best player to go against a team of basketball prodigies. (Not to mention he hated the sport).

Then there were also his old High School Teammates to think about.

The red head stopped walking when he realized that he was already in front of the entrance to the school. As he had expected, the school was clean and sanitary since it was fairly new. And there was a map of the school in the entrance hall.

He would need to visit the secretary's office first, then the principal's. After that, he'll head for the gym and meet the team and its new recruits.

Hopefully without a headache caused by the old man.

* * *

**_Earlier that day_**

Kuroko Tetsuya walked silently with a book clasped in his hand amongst the chattering students of Seirin High. There were many people crowded around yelling something about their respective clubs to encourage the new first years and the other seconds years to join.

"ARE YOU INTERESTED IN **RUGBY**!?" Someone yelled loudly as he waved a sign that had some words about the sport painted on it.

"Have you ever played Shougi?" A 2nd year asked more peacefully to one of the 1st years. He gave a few fliers before approaching another person.

"If you're Japanese then you should play baseball!" A girl cheered energetically as she started waving a baseball bat around that almost hit other students' heads.

"Watch it!" The students screamed but were ignored since the girl still continued to swing her bat like a madman.

"Swimming! It feels super!" another person said while the person beside him whispered something along the words, "_Not if you're going to end up drowning."_

Due to all the people crowded around, it was very hard for the new first years to move.

"I CAN'T MOVE FORWARD! SOMEONE PLEASE BRING A SNOWPLOW!"

The companion of the person who screamed sweatdropped. "We haven't moved more than 5 meters in 10 minutes. At this rate, we're going to be late."

As students crowded even more, Kuroko simply continued to read his book and walked to the entrance with more success than his schoolmates.

"Ah! Do you like to read books? How about you join the literature club?" A taller teen asked. Kuroko looked up and followed his gaze before moving onwards when he saw that it wasn't him that was being asked.

"No… this is a manga." The person behind him answered.

"Well mangas are proper books too. And you must read…." The bluenette didn't pay attention to what was being said by the older teen as he continued to walk. He continued to concentrate on his book until he saw something from the corner of his eye.

On a board was a list of clubs, American Football, Baseball then –

Basketball.

* * *

"Well, write your name and student ID number here." Aida Riko said as she gave out a form to the first year.

"Then…. The middle school you come from and your goals?" The boy asked.

"Of course…. That last one is arbitrary, so you can put anything you want." The brunette answered. After a few minutes, the first year returned the form and waved a good bye.

'_This could be nice material…'_ Aida thought as she scanned the physical appearance of the leaving first year. She then collected all the forms and counted all of them.

"One, two…. Ten persons so far. Maybe we'd need a bit more." Aida mused to herself as she read the forms. The brunette looked around and hoped that the members of the team would bring back some promising players.

"I brought back a new student…" Koga said with a scared tone. Aida snapped her head to her right, only to gape at the scene in front of her.

"Is the basketball club here?" A tall red headed teen asked as he held a shivering Koga by the back of his shirt.

Aida nodded, still gaping. "…Yeah."

_'Brought back? Isn't that the other way around?!' _Aida thought exasperatedly.

After regaining some of her composure, Aida observed the taller teen more closely. His eyes strangely resembled that of a wild tiger's. '_Who is this guy?'_

"Err… could you put Koga down?" Aida asked and she saw the obvious sigh of relief from the usually happy boy when he was let down.

She offered the tall teen a glass of tea when the new student took his seat and started to explain. "I think you know already, but our school was barely opened last year. All the upperclassmen are just second years, so somebody with your built will immediately…."

The red head shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't care about that, just give me the paper."

"Eh?"

"I'll just write my name down and go back."

He quickly wrote down his name, school ID number and the name of his old Middle School and gave the form to the manager. Aida read the form and was surprised at what she found out.

Kagami Taiga studied in America. '_He trained in the best place.' _Aida thought. '_But no matter how you look at him, he's no average guy.'_

"…Wait a minute Kagami-kun, you didn't write your goals."

Kagami glanced at the manager before throwing the empty cup into the trash can.

"I have none in particular right now. After all, Japanese basketball is the same thing everywhere." With that said, he walked away into the school campus.

**…**

''S-SCARY! Is that really a freshman?" Koga wondered out loud as he exaggeratedly fell in exhaustion on the table.

"By the way, I'd like to know why he grabbed you by the neck and brought you back." Koga simply shook his head quickly.

"Ah wait." Koga picked up a form from the table." – you forgot to pick up a registration paper." Koga said in his normal tone again.

"Eh? I never noticed… my bad." She grabbed the form and read it.

_First Year, Class 2 – Student Id number 102513_

_Name: Kuroko Tetsuya_

"Hmm…." '_It's been on my desk all the time but… I don't remember at all.'_ She continued to ponder about the registration form until she stopped after reading a certain part of the form.

"WAIT, HE'S FROM TEIKO'S BASKETBALL CLUB?!" The brunette yelled in surprise.

"Ehh? That famous one?!"

Aida brushed her hair with her fingers in exasperation. "On top of that, if he's a first year now, that means he was from the Generation of Miracles! GAAH – Why did I forget a face of such a golden egg!?"

"And that guy from America – What're up with the freshman this year?" Koga wondered out loud yet again.

"Oh yeah… I forgot to tell you and the others….."

"What?"

"We've got ourselves a new coach so I'll be the manager from now on."

"Oh really? Who?"

"Akashi Seijuro."

" Okay then, so is Akashi... Wait... _THE_ AKASHI SEIJURO? EH?!"

* * *

"Alright, everyone seems to be here." Aida said, smiling slightly. "All the freshmen come this way!"

One of the guys whispered,"Hey isn't the manager cute?"

"She's a 2nd year right?" the person beside him asked.

"Ah right. Now if only she was just a bit sexier…"

A teen with glasses on appeared behind the gossiping freshmen and whacked the back of their heads. "You're wrong idiots."

"Actually Hyuga," Aida said, taking the documents with her. "We will be having a new coach."

Hyuga looked at her in surprise. "Really? Who?"

Koga was about to answer for Aida but she shushed him and said, "You'll find out soon."

Once all the freshmen gathered, the manager started her greeting.

"I'm the boy basketball club's manager, Aida Riko. Nice to meet you all!" the brunette said enthusiastically. "Now, let's get down to business."

"Freshmen – Take off your shirts!"

"EEHH?!" The freshmen voiced out with gob smacked expressions. "WHY?"

Ignoring their protests, Aida repeated her order and after a few minutes of grumbling from the first years, they finally took of their shirts.

"….What the hell does this have to do with basketball?" Someone asked. None of his fellow batch mates answered him because they were too embarrassed about having to strip their upper clothing.

"Hm…" Aida walked in front of the flustered freshmen, her analyzing their physical appearance before stopping and thinking over what she had observed. Nodding to herself she announced her readings.

"You. Your instantaneous strength is weak." The brunette said, pointing at one of the guys. "I guess you must be around 50 steps for 20 seconds on the quick ladder training, right? If you want to play basketball, you'll want to improve that a bit."

She moved on to the next guy. "Your body is too stiff. Train your flexibility after getting out of the bath. As for you…"

The first years were left speechless.

"Are you kidding…?! She's right…"

"What the hell?"

"Just by looking at your body….?"

"Impressive Aida Riko." A smooth dark voice said. "As expected from a daughter of a sports trainer and ex national basketball team player."

Everyone in the Gym snapped their heads at the sudden voice and looked to the direction from where the voice came from. In front of the entrance of the gym was a handsome red haired young man of average height who looked to be like someone you wouldn't want to anger at all. After a few minutes of silence and observing the stranger, Aida realized something.

"Y-you're Akashi Seijuro!" Uproar followed after Aida had announced this.

"The _Emperor _– Akashi Seijuro?!"

"They say this guy can see the future – He was able to predict his opponent's moves in all of his matches."

"W-what? Really?!"

"What's a guy like that doing here?"

"I thought he quit playing basketball…"

"If he did, then why the heck is he here?"

Chattering continued until Akashi's glance (it was only a glance for his glares were even worse) shut them up. He walked into the Gym amidst the silence and introduced himself. "For the sake of formality, let me properly introduce myself. I am Akashi Seijuro and I am the new coach of the basketball team. I am a first year college student so I apologize in advance if I will ever be late in coming to the training sessions. But I always send a message at least 4 hours in advance if ever I won't be able to come on time."

The stares of awe and fear Akashi was receiving irritated him so he waved his hand at Aida to continue what she was doing. The manager blushed in embarrassment and continued giving her observations.

Everything became normal again as she walked to where Kagami Taiga was and became speechless.

"…What?" Kagami asked. Below his breath he added quietly, "It's pretty cold here."

'_Wha~~ These numbers are far above everyone else's! These aren't the stats of a boy in first year high school!' _ Aida thought, mouth slightly agape. '_I can't even estimate his full potential! This is the first time I've ever seen someone like that in real life….. This is definitely….'_

'_Natural Talent!'_

Aida's eyes were sparkling excitedly thinking about how lucky Seirin was. They had the _Emperor _(who had quit playing basketball but was now back) as their coach, an American fresh man who had unbelievably high stats and someone from Teiko Middle School!

"Riko, how long do you plan to daydream?" A voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Ah sorry c-coach! I was just overwhelmed." She admitted sheepishly, not minding the fact that she was addressed with her first name. "Kagami's physical attributes are very strong. It's unbelievable that he's only a first year."

''I see." The red head said with a calculating gaze. "From what I have heard, the way you train this team is good, since you were able to reach the final league last year. If you can pull something like that off, you can definitely train Taiga to be able to stand his ground against the Generation of Miracles. Don't worry; I'll help you with that. It is after all my job as coach to do so."

"Wait – you mean his status as of now isn't enough to go against them?"

"No. He would be murdered to the pulp if we let him go against one of them now." Kagami let out a protest of "OI, I'm still here! And why are you calling me by my first name?" which was ignored by the coach.

"That's… amazing…" '_As expected. They didn't earn the name Generation of Miracles for nothing.'_

"Have you seen everyone yet?" Hyuga asked, trying to change the topic into a less tense one. "That guy was the last."

Aida blinked in surprise. "Really?... was Kuroko-kun here then?"

She didn't notice the eyes of the new coach widening in recognition.

"AH that's right! The guy from Teiko Middle School!"

"EH?"

"Teikou? You mean _that _Teikou Middle School?" Hyuga asked disbelievingly.

"KUROKO! IS KUROKO HERE?"

'_If there was such a great guy here, I think I would've noticed him immediately…'_ Aida thought in disappointment.

Akashi knew what exactly the manager was thinking about. It was very obvious that she was disappointed about not seeing Kuroko. And she thought that she would be able to notice him since he was from the basketball team ofTeiko Middle School but if this guy was really the rumored Phantom of the Generation of Miracles….

"I guess he's taking the day off today." Aida said, shrugging slightly. Akashi's widened when he suddenly saw an icy blue haired boy who was only slightly taller than the manager appear in front of her. "Well then let's start practice!"

'_How could I not have noticed that?'_ The red head thought to himself. He may not have played the sport for a long time but that didn't mean his skills had decreased. Quite the contrary actually. He had improved in his observation skills to the point that he noticed even the smallest details without even using his _Emperor's Eye_.

So how did this boy escape his notice?

"Err… excuse me." The short teen said, still not having caught the brunette's attention. "I am Kuroko."

Many of the students jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the freshman while Akashi silently snorted at their reactions, especially at the Manager's who was screamed a manly, "KYAAH!"

"WAH,WHAT WOOH?" A freshman exclaimed. The coach added, _Teach kids to speak properly and to be more observant to their surroundings._ To his list of what to train the team to be able to do.

"Since when were you here?!"

"I was here since the beginning." Akashi glanced at the blank faced teen. This kid must be very good at hiding if he could remain unnoticed for so long. Then suddenly, a thought hit him and his eyes widened in realization.

That could be his talent…

"Seriously?!"

'_I didn't notice him in front of my eyes…? And he just said that he was Kuroko! EHH?! It's like he's invisible!' _Aida thought, her eyes scanning the mysterious teen.

"Wait – Wouldn't that mean this guy is from the Generation of Miracles?!"

"He can't have been a regular there…."

"Of course not, right Kuroko-kun?" Hyuga said to Kuroko.

The bluenette stared blankly and if you were looking very, very closely, you would see the eyes darkening ever so slightly. "…? I have played a few matches."

"See… just – wait, what?" Hyuga sweatdropped.

"What….?"

"EH? -EH?!"

'_I can't believe it!'_ were the thoughts of most of the team.

Akashi kept an expressionless face on. He'll give them all a lesson on why one shouldn't underestimate their opponents when the recruiting is finished. And he'll make very sure to make it a memorable lesson.

"WAIT... Take of your shirt!" Aida said.

"Hm? I just put it back on…" Kuroko deadpanned but nonetheless took his shirt off.

* * *

_**Maji ****Burger**_

Kagami Taiga walked to the nearby empty table with a tray full of more than a dozen burgers.

'_The Generation of Miracles…. If it's these guys then maybe…'_ The tall teen thought as he took a seat. He was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed somebody sitting across him.

"GWOH!" Blank eyes continued to stare at him.

"Hello." Kuroko looked at the large amount of food. "You are still growing up, right?"

"Where from…. What are you doing here?!" Kagami questioned.

"Well…. I was sitting here from the beginning," Kuroko said with a deadpanned expression. "Just watching people."

'_Is this guy really from the best team of Japan?_' Kagami thought, incredulous. '_And wait… Watching people?'_

Seeing as the bluenette didn't look like he was going anywhere Kagami sighed,"…. Whatever. Tag along with me after I'm done eating this."

**_Basketball Court_**

Kuroko inexpressively looked around the empty court, knowing exactly why the loudmouthed red head had brought him here.

"What are you hiding?" Kagami inquired with narrowed eyes.

"…?" Kuroko's expression conveyed that the other should elaborate a little more for him to understand.

"…I was in America until the second year of Middle School." Kagami started. "I was really shocked when I came back to Japan. The level is just too low."

"What I'm looking for is not playing basketball for fun. I want to play in matches that make my blood boil at full strength!... But I've heard a nice thing earlier. It seems like there are strong guys our year who are called the Generation of Miracles. You were in that team right?"

Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "I can guess the strength of an opponent to some extent too. It's like strong guys have a peculiar scent to them. But you're weird. Even if you should reek of weakness – "

"You don't smell like anything at all. Your strength is odorless." Kagami finished before a grin reached his face. "I want to see for myself, you from the Generation of Miracles, what kind of guy you are."

"A one-on-one!"

Kuroko continued to stare at Kagami blankly before taking of his jacket. "I play differently, just so you know."

Kagami dribbled the ball across the court and expected the bluenette to go after him but no –

The ball wasn't in his possession anymore.

"Where – ?" Kuroko tilted his head with an impassive expression on his face. It was blank but you could hear the words, "Is that the best you've got?" from his expression.

A vein popped.

Dribbles could be heard from all over and Kagami realized something.

_That Kuroko was desperately weak._

The teen's dribbles and shoots are amateur. He's got nothing redeeming. He's not even worth playing against.

But that didn't explain how he stole the ball so easily at the start. Was it luck?

"Don't mess with me! Did you hear what I said?" Kagami yelled. "You're overestimating yourself if you think you can win against me like that! To think you left a nice impression when you challenged me."

"Of course not. And I didn't challenge you; it was the other way around." Kuroko said in monotone. "And isn't it obvious that Kagami-kun is the strongest of the two of us?" He shrugged slightly. "I knew that from the beginning."

Kagami's eyes twitched in irritation. "Are you picking a fight…?! What's your goal…?"

"I wanted to Kagami-kun's strength directly."

"Haah?" Kagami looked at Kuroko as though he had just grown another head. '_Geez… What the hell am I doing? He's just weak to the point that he doesn't smell like anything at all.. I feel like an idiot.'_

"Hn, I'm not interested in weak guys." Kagami told Kuroko as he took his bag and his jacket. "..I'll give you one last advice…"

"It's better that you give up on basketball." Kagami resisted the urge to kick the blank expression of Kuroko's face. "No matter what kind of beautiful things you can say about effort, it's an undeniable fact that you need talent in our society. You have no talent in basketball."

"I have to say no to that." Kuroko replied, completely unaffected with what the red head had said. "And it is a matter of point of view. You think that being the strongest will get you far but for me, I do not care about who is the strongest."

"What do you – "

"I am different from you Kagami-kun." Kuroko elucidated in plain words as he looked over his shoulder while walking away. "After all, I am only a shadow." No one noticed that the last statement had been said with a little resentment.

"...?"

* * *

Akashi didn't know whether to whack Taiga or Tetsuya on the head. No, maybe he should do that to both and quadruple their training for a week in the future.

Underestimating an opponent will lead the temperamental teen to lose in the future while Tetsuya -

He was holding back.

Akashi knew when to acknowledge someone for his or her talent, especially if they can utilize it well but after the bluenette had shown a bit of his own talent in stealing the ball with the use of his lack of presence, he instantly stopped and let Taiga think of him as a arrogant player.

Why?

The college student had a feeling it had something to do with the Generation of Miracles but he couldn't be able to finalize anything until he got all the information he needed. His sources were limited about that sensitive information, meaning he'll have to be to convince Tetsuya or the other members of the GoM to tell him.

Looking back to the interesting encounter of Taiga and Tetsuya, both had a lot of potential to become excellent basketball players. Even if it the bluenette only showed a little bit of his talent.

The crimson and yellow eyed man smirked. Tetsuya was definitely worthy of the name Phantom. His magic like technique – Misdirection proves that.

And now… how to develop it and how to improve his shooting and speed are what Akashi will now think about.

* * *

'_What does that mean? What kind of guy is he?_' Aida thought as she walked home. '_His abilities are way too low!'_

_'All his abilities are below average. On top of that… he's already on the peak of his growth. Kuroko looks nothing like the regular of the strongest basketball team._'

**_The next day…_**

"It's raining! Just a while ago it was very sunny." Aida hummed in disappointment. "Now we can't do road work and we still have time left for our training."

"I propose that we have a mini-game." Akashi suggested. "It will be a good opportunity to assess the strength of the freshmen."

"That's a good idea sir!" Aida chirped with excitement. Running to the gym she announced,

"WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A 5 VS. 5 MINI GAME!" Everyone groaned in exhaustion. The training of their manager was bad enough last year but now, with Akashi Seijuro (who they nicknamed as the Demonic Coach) who was in charge of their training, they have to go through hell and back at least 3 times a day.

30 laps around the school in 15 minutes or else an addition of 5 laps per 3 minutes after the limit was only a **_part_** of their warm up! The real conditioning was even worse.

"Fresh men against the Sophomores!"

"A match against the sempais?"

"Do you remember what they told us before we joined the club? Their result from last year…. "

"Right, last year with only freshmen, they made it to the final league." The freshmen looked at the oblivious sophomores with fear.

"Seriously?"

"They're completely out of the ordinary."

'_I wonder how good our rookies are…'_ Aida thought with a smirk.

Akashi told (ordered) the students to separate into two teams according to year level quickly or else their training tomorrow will be tripled. Needless to say, the threat worked.

"It's not time to be scared." Kagami said, looking like he was ready to pounce. "Of course, it's better if the opponent is strong rather than weak right? Now let's go!"

Everything was organized so Riko blew the whistle and threw the ball into the air.

In a matter of 20 seconds, the first team to score were the freshmen.

"OOH!?"

Kagami dunked the ball into the hoop which was followed by yells of "What was with that incredible dunk?!"

"AWESOME!"

"Really impressive."

Kuroko scanned the court and quietly walked around without notice.

Except for Akashi's.

"...!" The manager's eyes widened considerably at seeing the dunk of Kagami.

'_It's even more than I ever imagined!'_ Aida thought. '_With that unpolished sense of play and destructive power!"_

"That's insane." Hyuga commented, wiping the sweat off his face with his arm. "His fire power is seriously that of a monster."

As time went by, the scores increased with the freshmen in the lead by four points.

"The first years are leading?!"

"Kagami's the only one scoring!"

'_Rather than that…. shit… This is getting on my nerves!'_ Kagami thought with an infuriated expression on his face.

The ball was in Kuroko's hands before it was stolen again in a matter of seconds.

"OI Kuroko! Focus!" One of the freshmen yelled at the silent bluenette.

Kuroko nodded slightly before moving on.

'_Compared to the big things he said yesterday, he's just a shitty player.' _The tall red head thought with annoyance radiating off his figure.

"Guys who talk big despite being small fries…" Kagami jumped and blocked the ball from reaching into the hoop. "PISS ME OFF!"

"Woah, so high!"

"They can't stop Kagami at all!"

Kuroko, having heard what Kagami said narrowed his eyes at the red head.

Akashi knew that as coach he should be keeping Tetsuya from doing whatever he planned on doing to Taiga but if he did, he wouldn't be able to push the bluenette into showing his true talent.

"…We can't let it go that way." Hyuga said. He didn't look worried about the point difference. "I think it's about time we calmed you down."

And immediately after saying that, three 2nd year students appeared in front of Kagami and one of the stole the ball from him with little effort.

The second years continued to earn more points now. And there were always two second years surrounding Kagami to make sure he didn't get the ball.

Now the score was 15 and 31, in the second year's favor.

"They're really strong after all…" One of the first years panted.

"Actually, there was no way for us to win from the start." Another said pessimistically.

"It's enough already."

Kagami snapped and grabbed one of freshmen by the collar. "Enough already..? What the hell is with that?!"

'_Temper.' _Akashi thought. Something he would have to teach Kagami to control. But he had to agree with the tempered teen on this one. One shouldn't feel discouraged about having less points than the opposing team until the game ends.

And the game hasn't ended yet.

"Calm down." Kuroko said, appearing out of no where as he kicked Kagami from behind.

The freshmen around looked at the bluenette like he had a death wish.

"You bastard..." Kagami raged. He pounced on Kuroko who easily avoided the attack by sidestepping to the opposite direction, causing Kagami to hit the floor headfirst.

'_Has no preservation skills but has good reflexes.'_ Akashi noted.

"You know… I only realized that Kuroko was there just now…" the first year who had just been grabbed by Kagami said in realization.

'_Even as referee, I completely forgot about him as well.'_ Aida thought. '_But wait…. Since when – '_

"Tetsuya if you don't step up your game and get your head into the match I will forbid you from drinking vanilla milkshakes for the whole week." Akashi said, staring at the bluenette with seriousness.

The short teen stared at the coach for what seemed like a life time before turning around and looking more stoic than he did before.

"Excuse me." Kuroko said to a first year that he recognized as Fukuda. "Could you pass me the ball?

"Hah?" Fukuda looked at him in surprise.

"Do your best! There's still 3 minutes." Someone cheered form the stands.

'_But it's not like you'll be able to do anything when you get it.'_ Fukuda doubted that the bluenette could do something with it. '_Just don't lose it Kuroko.' _ Fukuda passed the ball to Kuroko.

Aida was suddenly having an uncomfortable feeling. '_Could it be that something unthinkable is going to happen?'_ She looked over at the expectant looking coach. '_What does he expect to happen?'_

One of the seconds years was running to Kuroko to steal the ball from him when in a blink of an eye, Kuroko passed it and the ball was no longer in his possession but with a surprised Furihata who was under the basket.

"What are you waiting for Furihata-kun? Shoot." Kuroko said inexpressibly. Shaking his head out of surprise, Furihata shot the ball and scored a simple lay-up.

"What the - It's in?!"

"How did he get that pass through just now?"

"I don't know! I didn't see!"

Kuroko glanced at the smirking coach before concentrating on the game again.

During the last 2 minutes he had surprised the 2nd years by being able to intercept their passes and making invisible passes of his own to the other members. His passes were unpredictable which were making the first years who were receiving them more vigilant and quicker to react.

"How the heck does he do that?!" Izuki inquired in speculation. "Before you even notice it, the pass goes through and they score! And his steals…. He just appears in front of you and disappears!"

"It can't be… this guy.. He's already hard to notice from the beginning… and he becomes more invisible?" Aida asked out loud.

"No, but a good guess Riko." The manager looked at the coach as he continued to explain. "This is misdirection. It's a technique to fool the senses of the opponent. Using misdirection, he leads the opponent to think not him but another player will get the ball."

"In other words," Aida said in realization. "Rather than saying he's invisible, he's actually encouraging the opponents to focus other players than him."

"That is correct."

'_So this is Kuroko's…'_ Kagami thought, finally comprehending what was happening.

"The rumor about a regular who specialized in making invisible passes without being seen is true." Akashi continued. "They call him the 'Phantom' of the Generation of Miracles."

'_To think he actually exists…!'_ Aida thought, shocked. '_The Phantom sixth player!'_

"Kagami." A ball was passed to the temporarily stunned center before he shot the ball into the hoop with success.

'_We've been focusing too much on Kuroko's passes!' _Hyuga thought in distress.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! A ONE POINT DIFFERENCE."

The score was 36 to 37, still in the second year's favor.

"We have no way to stop these attacks…" Hyuga tensed, alarmed with how quickly the tables had turned.

Suddenly, the ball was passed again to Kuroko who ran to the basket.

"GO KUROKO!"

The bluenette got into position and shot the ball….

And missed…

"Er..."

"That's why weak guys piss me off…'' Kagami said in an angry tone as he grabbed the ball and dunked it into the basket. "SCORE PROPERLY IDIOT!"

Kuroko smiled slightly before walking away to drink water, ignoring the looks of disbelief coming from his fellow schoolmates.

"EH?! THE FRESHMEN WON!?"

"Those guys…" the second years smiled even in defeat. "They'll be reliable allies at least."

* * *

"What do you think you're doing Tetsuya?"

"Drinking my vanilla milkshake, coach."

"How were you able to notice him so quickly?! – WAIT, What are you doing here?" Kagami was shocked yet again on how weak the presence of his club mate was.

"You are the one who came to sit on my table and I'm here since I like to the vanilla milkshake here. Speaking of which, how did Coach Akashi know about my liking to the milkshake?" Kuroko looked at the coach blankly but with a speculating glint in his eyes.

"You always have that drink in hand before, during and after practice. I can tell the difference between milkshakes and water you know."

"Why are you sitting here?!" Akashi raised a brow at him.

"Because I want to , Taiga. Now stop complaining and finish your food." Kagami twitched in annoyance at being treated like a 5 year old before eating a burger.

"Go sit somewhere else." Akashi had an amused smirk on his face.

"No." The coach and bluenette chorused together.

"Don't go thinking that we're friends or something…"

"Like I said, I was the first one to sit here." Kuroko said before sipping his cold treat. Kagami glared at the oblivious blunette then looked at Akashi who glared at him, his eyes saying 'Are you going to dare to defy me?'

"…." A vein could be seen on the temperamental teen's temples and fists causing the bluenette to look at him blankly like he usually did.

"Hn, here." He gave both the coach and bluenette a burger each.

"I'm not interested in weak guys but," Kagami said. "I'll acknowledge you both worth one piece of that."

"You training tomorrow will be tripled Taiga." Akashi stated before biting the burger while Kagami protested.

"….Thank you." Kuroko said gratefully.

After finishing eating the three unlikely people to be talking together peacefully walked out of the fast food restaurant.

"How strong is the Generation of Miracles?" Kagami asked while Kuroko looked at him in contemplation. "Say if I go against them now, what would happen?"

"You would be instantly/horrifically killed." Kuroko and Akashi respectively answered in unison.

"Can't you both say that in a different way?"

"Those five geniuses have joined different schools this year, all of them being in veteran schools that are known for having a good basketball team." Akashi said.

"There is no doubt that one of them will be standing on top." Kuroko continued.

A comfortable silence surrounded them before it was finally broken by a loud cheer.

"Haha NICE!" Kagami grinned. "I've decided! I'll take those guys down and become number one in Japan."

Akashi looked at him with a blasé look. "That's impossible."

"I agree with coach." Kuroko nodded.

"HEY!"

"Taiga, your abilities now are worth admiring to those in first year and in Middle School, but if you were to stand against others like the Generation of Miracles, the Uncrowned Kings or others like them, then you would fail immediately." Akashi said as they walked. "It's impossible for you _alone_."

"Which is why I've decided as well." Heterochromatic eyes snapped their attention to the bluenette.

"I am a supporter, a shadow. I cannot stand alone. As the light grows brighter, the shadow will grow darker and make the light more illuminating. And as the shadow I will make you and Seirin the best of Japan." Kuroko said with a blank expression yet with a promising tone.

"Heh… nice words there." Kagami complimented with his usual grin before turning to the opposite direction to leave. "Just do what you want."

"I shall do my best." Akashi and Kuroko were the only ones left walking astray now.

"You quit the basketball team after winning the finals of the Winter Cup." Akashi said unexpectedly, making Kuroko look at him with a tense expression.

"How do you know that?" Kuroko didn't deny it so he didn't feel any regret from his decision.

"I happen to have sources around Tetsuya." Akashi responded vaguely. "Now I have to tell you that you won't be staying in the shadows for long if you want to make Seirin into the best team there is."

"...Why is that?" Kuroko turned to him with a hard expression on his usually blank face. "It worked with my former teammates who are now prodigies at the game, why shouldn't I do the same for Seirin?"

"Your style will only take you so far now. This is High School, not Middle School and your new teammates are not like your old ones. On top of that, you will be going against the old teammates who are well aware of your style of playing." Akashi explained, looking straight into the icy blue eyes of Kuroko. "As you said before, you are a shadow. A shadow that will have to _adapt_ to the shapes of the lights around him."

Undoubtedly, there were still many things that were hidden from sight and Akashi was going to find out every single one of them.

**End of Chapter.**

* * *

**AN: Hm, probably by next chapter or the 3rd chapter will you see Akashi's talent in observation and in basketball in general. It will probably take a while till he'll actually play the game again. How famous is he? In the next chapter, you shall see a slight glimpse of it and there shall be a challenge our favorite ex captain shall take. Will he succeed?**

**Please Review! I would very much appreciate any suggestions to improve the story and if any of you would point out and grammar or spelling errors that I was not able to find. **

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

I ask you to be mine

Full Plot: Akashi Seijuro was an 18 year old college student who took a part time job as the coach of the Seirin Basketball team. With rumors spreading about the Generation of Miracles going to different schools, Akashi vows to make Seirin the best basketball team of Japan. He expected ridiculous incidents, problems and unexpected adventures to happen but not falling in love with a certain bluenette.

Pairing: _Eventual _Akashi x Kuroko

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story plot.

AN: **It took a long time for this one to be posted but here it is!**

**Chapter 2**

"Reo-nii! Reo-nii!" Hayama called out enthusiastically while running (more like skipping) to his fellow teammate. "Have you heard about it?"

"Hm?" the black haired teen perked up. "Heard about what, Hayama?"

Before the hyper boy could open his mouth, Nebuya came into the gym with a large chicken leg in his left hand.

"Yo!"

Mibuchi's face twitched in annoyance. "Please avoid eating in the gym Nebuya! But if you really can't then at least eat properly! You're dripping gravy all over the floor!" The taller 2nd year, being used to being scolded by his slightly uptight schoolmate, simply continued to eat like nothing was happening.

"Guys?" Hayama was completely ignored by the two as Mibuchi continued to leating the eating teen who looked like he wasn't paying attention at all to what his teammate was saying.

"_HEY!_ Did you know that Akashi-sempai became the coach of some new school's basketball team?!" Hayama screamed from the top of his lungs to the other two to get their attention.

Silence filled the gym but it was broken after a couple of minutes.

"…..What?" Nebuya gaped unbecomingly with a surprised expression on his face.

Mibuchi appeared beside Hayama and started pinching his cheeks very painfully. "You must be kidding me, aren't you? AREN'T YOU?" The last sentence was said in a stressfully and every word had a painful pinch accompanying with it.

"I'm nnnn-no-oot!" The light haired basketball player said incoherently due to the pinching of his cheeks. When Mibuchi finally let go, the talented dribbler started rubbing his reddening cheeks in a soothing manner.

"Eh, Reo-nii that hurt!" Hayama pouted.

"How did you know that Sei-chan became the coach of Seirin's basketball team?" Mibuchi asked curiously. "He isn't the type to just recklessly enter a no name school and sign up as their coach."

Nebuya grunted in agreement as he bit his chicken leg.

"Haven't you both seen or read those gossip magazines that the female student population have been reading? An article featuring Akashi-sempai was in one of them and it was confirmed on a more trustworthy sports magazine that he did become Seirin's coach but the reasons are still unknown. Y'know, a lot of basketball fanatics have been rejoicing that he came back to play."

"A coach doesn't necessarily need to play in the court to teach a team." Mibuchi pointed out. "It would be harder to train but that doesn't mean it's impossible."

Nebuya burped loudly before he said, "So you're saying that he could possibly _still_ be keeping that vow of never playing the sport again?"

"Of course he would be. His words are absolute after all."

* * *

'_I've decided!'_ Kagami thought with determination in his eyes as he readied a position to shoot the basketball into the hoop, '_I'll take those guys down! The Generation of Miracles!'_

But before he even shot the ball, it was taken from his hold. Kagami didn't notice until he felt something fling the back of his head. A black sweatband innocently landed with a small '_thump_' on the cold ground.

"Oi!" Kagami yelled as he turned his back and saw the icy haired teen dribbling the ball with his usual blank expression. "What the hell are you doing here and what did you do that for?"

"If something like that can easily startle you then you'll have a very difficult time defeating my former teammates. I have the element of surprise while they have a lot of speed." Kuroko replied as he passed the ball back to the red head. "One more time."

If looks could kill, the shorter teen would've died in a very torturous manner.

The bluenette tilted his head. "If you're going to play a game against them then you might as well win too because at this moment you can't even reach their feet. That's how good they are." _In basketball anyway._

* * *

"Akashi-san!" The heterochromatic eyed student sighed in irritation as he put his book down and looked at the person who called him.

"May I help you with something, Shiro?" Akashi asked, raising his brow at the panting teen.

"Where have you been?! I've been looking for you since this morning! But anyway, have you changed your mind yet? Are you now interested to join our basketball – "

"For the umpteenth time this week, Shiro. No, I am not interested to join. Now if you'll excuse me, I am needed somewhere – "

"Oh right," Shiro cut off while he shrugged his shoulders. "I forgot about you becoming the new coach of that high school – Seirin right?"

"Hn." Was the only reply Akashi gave as he gathered his things but it had underneath was a hidden message that said '_Explain how you know.'_

"Err…. You see…. Someone wrote an article about you in Monthly Basketball Magazine and it was posted online and also on other magazines that the other students read. It was said that you became a coach of Seirin so the National team is hoping that you really did change your mind about not playing basketball ever again and that you will join them."

"…..Is that so?"

"Yeah, and out of curiosity and all – why'd you quit the Rakuzan basketball team after you guys won the Winter Cup? You could've joined the Kantou Tournament and – "

"What I choose to do is up to me, understood?" Akashi snapped as he looked at him with a very fearful gaze.

"Yes." Shiro squeaked in fear as he saw the dark expression of his schoolmate. The red head took his bag and left the room, leaving an ominous dark aura while doing so.

* * *

"Play in a match?" Hyuga, the team captain, clarified. "You can't play in one yet."

"Whaa?" Kagami exclaimed. "Why not…captain? Is…there something wrong with me?"

Hyuga's mouth quirked up a little. "Not used to being polite, are you? Anyway, you freshmen are only temporary members of the club. You're not proper members yet. You need to go to our coach but as he's not here, you can visit the mana – "

Kagami sprinted away immediately on his way to class 2-C, leaving Hyuga who sighed and muttered about 'disrespectful first years'.

* * *

'_8:40 on the rooftop…._' Kuroko thought as he walked through the corridors. '_How strange that the test will commence just five minutes before classes starts.'_

The bluenette stopped walking when a piece of paper on the bulletin board caught his attention.

'**Boy Basketball Club, qualified for the Kantou tournament on their first participation.'**

He had to admit that that was quite an impressive feat, especially with the fact that they only had first years on the team.

Kuroko looked at the pictures and noticed a face that he had not seen in any of the club meetings before. He wondered who that boy may be….

The other pictures were of them celebrating after the match. He saw the younger versions of the second years smiling and grinning tiredly but happily. Some were cheering and some were even crying. They all looked like….

"….A team." The word sounded foreign in his lips. The bluenette reminisced in his middle school memories and he knew that in their first year, the Generation of Miracles could certainly be considered as a team in his opinion.

From the corner of his eye, Kuroko saw Kagami walking by with a piece of paper in hand. He came from the direction of the manager's classroom so he probably visited her and asked how he could become an official member like he did.

The red head stopped walking and gazed at the flier as well, not noticing the bluenette.

"Heh, maybe this basketball team is quite amazing." Kagami commented with a thoughtful look on his face.

"It is amazing." Kuroko stated sincerely, surprising the taller teen.

"…..! " Kagami jumped in shock before glaring at his classmate. "Bastard! Appear normally for once! Stop jumping out of nowhere!"

"Shh." Kuroko gestured for Kagami to be quiet before pointing at the sign that said 'Library'.

In irritation and anger, the red head grabbed the bluenette's head, put his curled up first near his face and said with a threatening tone, "You picking a fight? You're picking a fight, aren't you? Answer me!"

"….I am not." Kuroko deadpanned. '_He gets annoyed very easily.'_

When his classmate finally let go of his head he blankly stared at the glaring teen who was changing his expressions dramatically. First, anger then exasperation before it became a questioning look.

The bluenette thought that it was a good time to disappear to avoid answering questions. He wasn't ready to just yet.

"Hey Kuroko…." Kagami looked up and found that his companion was gone.

He suddenly smiled calmly. "Well that doesn't matter….. The most important thing is…"

'_That the next time we meet… __**I'll kill him.**_' Kagami thought with overflowing murderous attempt, scaring the passing by students.

* * *

On Monday Morning at exactly 8:40 am, a number of students were found on top of the school roof top. The wind was particularly strong that day which made things seem dramatic as the students gathered.

"Fu, fu, fu, fu~" Aida smiled at the freshmen. "I have been waiting."

Kagami looked like he was about to face palm. "Are you an idiot?"

The surrounding students could only sweatdrop out how ridiculous but theatrical the whole scene was.

"Oi! HURRY UP WITH THE TEST!" Kagami yelled. "The morning classes start in like 5 minutes!"

Aida ignored the red head's outburst. "Well before we proceed to the test, there is one thing I have to say. Though now I am the manager, last year I made a promise when the captain last year asked me to become the coach."

"We're playing basketball to aim for the nationals!" Aida declared with determination. "So if you're not ready for this, feel free to go to another club."

"Ha…? What do you….?"

"I know you guys are strong." Aida defended. "But I want to check something more important than that. No matter how seriously you practice, you'll always stay weak if you're thinking, "maybe one day I'll do it" or something like that. I want you to have a big concrete objective and the will to achieve it no matter what."

The brunette turned around and then pointed at the crowd of students below. "That's why now! From here! You will shout your class number! Your name! And your goal from the year!"

"On top of that, if you can't do that here, next time I'll have you confess to the girl you like completely naked." An evil twinkle appeared in the manager's eyes as she said this.

"EEEEEHH?!" was the first thing most of the freshmen said.

"Ah?!" Kagami raised his brow while Kuroko kept his straight look on his face.

'_Haa? I didn't hear about that!'_ A first year thought.

'_To think you'd have to go that far!' _Someone looked repulsed.

"I said it earlier, but you need a big concrete hurdle! If you're thinking of 'let's pass the first round' or 'I'll do my best', I want you to fix that."

One of the students panicked. "What should we do?!"

"Wait you mean she's really serious?!"

As they talked amongst themselves Kagami sighed. "Isn't that too easy? It won't be even a test."

The red casually walked past his murmuring schoolmates and jumped up to stand on the railing, surprising Aida.

"CLASS 1-B, SEAT 8, KAGAMI TAIGA." The students that were below the building looked in surprise at hearing the loud voice. "I WILL DEFEAT THE "_GENERATION OF MIRACLES_" AND BECOME NUMBER 1 IN JAPAN."

"What the heck was that?"

"I wonder what this is about."

The second years sighed in remembrance of last year. "There goes the basketball club again."

Hyuga stared in astonishment. '_They're actually going to do it this year too?'_

Back on the rooftop, Kagami jumped back on the rooftop and walked away.

"Next one? If you don't hurry up, a teacher will come." Aida said.

'_I wonder if this is impossible for Kuroko-kun?'_ The brunette wondered mentally. Suddenly, she felt someone beside her.

"Sorry, I'm not very good at shouting." The second year jumped in surprise as the bluenette spoke up and showed her a megaphone. "Is it alright if I use this?"

"Waah…" Aida said in surprise. Where on earth did he get that? "…I guess so."

As Kuroko opened his mouth, the door suddenly banged open, revealing a few teachers.

"The basketball club again?!"

"Ah, they're quick this year." Aida couldn't help but comment as they were taken to a classroom to be scolded about how unbecoming it was to yell at students from the rooftop.

* * *

"We meet here too often." Kagami grumbled in irritation as he put his tray of burgers down.

Kuroko simply replied, "It is you who sits on my table."

The red head ignored the bluenette as he bit his burger. "Do they have to be that angry just because I spoke a little too loudly?"

"I hadn't done anything yet I was still scolded, Kagami-kun." Kuroko said while he reached for his beloved milkshake. "And it has become quite a problem. How will I be able to join the club?"

"I don't think that's much of a problem." Kagami muttered as he put down his food. "More importantly, there was something that was bothering me."

'_He'd probably find another time to ask me whatever question he has if I escape right now.'_ Kuroko thought, glancing at the red head with an unreadable look. '_Well, it's here or in a more public area.'_

"In the beginning, you were considered good enough to be called the 'phantom sixth player', right? Then why didn't you join a known veteran school like the five other guys?" Kagami asked, staring at the bluenette straight in the eye. "Do you have a reason to play basketball?"

After a considerable amount of time to think of an answer, Kuroko shrugged nonchalantly. "The middle school I was at was really strong at basketball,"

"I know that already." Kagami snapped.

"….But there was one simple rule – Winning is everything." The bluenette tone became icy. "What was necessary for that sake wasn't teamwork. The "Generation of Miracles'' was just basketball based on overwhelming basketball skills that were one of the strongest. "

"But you couldn't call that a team anymore, could you? I was playing well with these five people, but I felt like I was missing something important. No – Actually, I can proudly admit that we were once a team in our first year and the first half of our second year. Things just changed. "

Kagami raised a brow, "….So what is it? It can't be that you want to take down the Generation of Miracles with your basketball skills just because they changed?"

"I used to think idealistically like that but…" Kuroko trailed off while Kagami yelled out "_Seriously!?_".

"Rather than that I was moved by your's and Sempai's words. So right now, the most important reason for which I'm playing basketball is because I want to make you and this team the best in Japan."

'_I want to be in a real team again.'_

Silence reigned between the two until Kagami grunted and stood up.

"Still saying embarrassing stuff as usual!" The red head commented as he shoved the tray of left over hamburgers for the bluenette to eat. "Aah, whatever. As long as I get to crush the Generation of Miracles."

"And it's not I want, you'll make us number one in Japan, right?"

* * *

Students crowded and tried to see whatever it was that was outside on the school grounds through the classroom windows.

"Did you see it?"

"See what?"

Kagami's attention was caught and he followed the source of the noisy chatters and found out the reason.

"….Heh." The red head grinned.

**I WILL MAKE YOU THE NUMBER ONE IN JAPAN**

"The fun really starts now!" Aida smiled at what was written with the member registration that Kuroko had handed on the first day of school in her hand. He had come to her to change his goal.

At the start it had been "To defeat his former teammates."

It was changed to the exact words that were written on the school grounds right now.

And in the background, if you had a very good focus, you would see Kuroko walking by. Also, if you had luck and a good eye, you would also notice a small smile of commitment on his face.

* * *

"I can't do this!" A first year yelled out in frustration. "I'm leaving this club!"

Akashi did not comment as the 6th student that day walked out of the gym.

The manager and the rest of the team looked at one another worriedly. Though they have only been together for less than two weeks, Seirin was now adverse with their coach's ways. Or at least, more cautious about it.

From experience they knew that Akashi wouldn't ask anything but if strange things going on won't be explained to him in full detail like what was happening now, then training would be increased by who knows how much.

And recently, Akashi has been a bad mood.

"S-sir!" Furihata, a first year, was pushed by the second years to explain the situation to the fearsome coach.

"Is there a reason as to why you are not training?" The red head was merciless today.

"A-ah you see sir.. .err. coach! There a lot of students who are switching clubs because of the test!"

Akashi looked at the freshman quizzically. "A test?"

"Y-yes! Yesterday, we were told to shout out our class numbers, names and goals on the rooftop as a test by the manager…." The nervous first year paused for a while but continued quickly when the college student's look hardened. "But not all students were able to finish and since we were forbidden from shouting from the rooftop, they had to do this during the club activity time."

"So since they don't wish to do so, they quit the club." Akashi concluded. Furihata nodded vigorously. "Go back to training. And I want you to concentrate on defense. Go to Rinnosuke and get Taiga to train with you."

"Sir – "

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

The freshman ran away with the speed of lightning.

Akashi sighed. "I can assume that that message on the school grounds also came from this club." He looked to his right where an icy eyed boy who was holding a bottle of milkshake stood. No one had noticed him there…..except the coach of course.

"Yes." Kuroko replied. "Ah, and since Furihata-kun left, I came to relay a message from the Aida-san who is currently yelling at Kagami-kun."

"And what is this message?"

The bluenette as usual talked with a monotone voice. "It's a tradition that all new members are to voice out their goals. And that includes you too coach."

The manager and captain who were hiding nearby and eavesdropping, flinched at the straightforwardness of the emotionless first year. That could get him into trouble someday.

The red head thought silently about the message said to him before asking,

"Does it necessarily need to be voiced out? Can it be relayed in another way?"

"As long as your goal is said and you give identification, then it's alright." Kuroko stated. Akashi nodded and sneakily took the almost empty bottle of milkshake from the bluenette's hands. He gulped the remaining contents within it and gave it back to the slightly surprised bluentte with a full bottle of water.

"Lessen your intake on that drink." Akashi ordered as he walked away. "In the mean while, I need to do something. It will only take me a few minutes."

The bluenette stayed silent for a moment, his doe eyes looking down at his empty bottle then at the man who drank his drink. "….For what?"

"The tradition of course. Now I hope you don't mind if we'll share the same goal, Tetsuya."

* * *

"OI! Everyone!" Hyuga yelled out loud the next day. "Look at this!"

The remaining first years and the other second years gathered around the four eyed captain.

"What is this about Hyuga?" Izuki asked curiously.

"Read this – " The second year proceeded to open the Basketball Monthly Magazine and pointed at the very first article of the magazine. "This was written by the coach only yesterday but the owners of the magazine put his article in the magazine at the very last minute. It wasn't only this one but many other basketball magazines and some tabloids! It was even featured on the Sports section of the newspaper today!"

Everyone excitedly read the article. It was something that was written by a first year college student but it was professionally written. The topic was about basketball and commitment. There was also something written about his choice of reentering the basketball world as a coach but it did not state the reason as to why. It only stated what he did. And at the very end of the article, were the sentences –

"_In this team, there was a tradition. If you are a new member, then you must state you class number, name and then your goal out loud. Students were told to do this just last Monday on the rooftop and the next day, during their club activity practice. Being the new coach I had to this as well but instead of saying out loud, I shall write it here for others to read._

_Class 1-A, Akashi Seijuro._

_I will make my team the number one in Japan._

_******End of Chapter.**_

* * *

**OMAKE**

"Hey Kuro... What's with that look?" Koga asked when he noticed the forlorn look on the usually blank first year's face.

"..." The bluenette lifted the empty bottle that contained his vanilla milkshake a few minutes ago.

"Eh? Your drink is all finished up."

"Coach drank it and told me to start drinking more water." Kuroko tilted his head. "He didn't have to finish my milkshake."

Koga snapped his head at Kuroko. "Wait... He _drank_ your milkshake?"_  
_

Kuroko nodded.

"From the bottle you _drank_ from a while ago?"

Kuroko nodded.

'_...Does this guy not realize he just had an indirect kiss with the demon_ _coach_!?' Koga thought.

"Shinji, 50 laps around the school now."

* * *

Reply to Anonymous Reviews

Harihi: Akash is indeed curious of our favorite bluenette~ I'm really glad you liked the story! Thank you for the review

Ib: You'll find out now Thank you for the review~

Guest: Well here's the update! So sorry for the long wait! Thank you for the review!

**AN: Sorry for the very late update and the corrections in this chapter. I will correct them tomorrow since I still have homework to do.**

**Please review and give suggestions! They help a LOT.**


	3. Chapter 3

I ask you to be mine

Full Plot: Akashi Seijuro was an 18 year old college student who took a part time job as the coach of the Seirin Basketball team. With rumors spreading about the Generation of Miracles going to different schools, Akashi vows to make Seirin the best basketball team of Japan. He expected ridiculous incidents, problems and unexpected adventures to happen but not to fall in love with a certain bluenette.

Pairing: _Eventual _Akashi x Kuroko

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story plot.

AN: Sorry it took a long time. Things are killing me.

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Just take out the parentheses.

The link to what Akashi's mask looks like

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Practice was going well – or as well as it could ever get. Akashi and Aida both had to go somewhere and left them a list of things to do while they were gone. When done with their warm-ups, they were supposed to do individual training (Akashi left each and every one a piece of paper which was to serve as a guide as to what they should improve on) until their manager and their coach came back.

"Goddamn it!" Hyuga's irritation was increasing dramatically as Kuroko continued to steal the ball from him before he even shot it. It's already the seventh time it happened. "How do you do that?!"

"I just do." Kuroko replied monotonously as he passed the ball back to the captain. The four eyed teen had asked the bluenette to help him be able to concentrate on shooting the ball into the hoop and at the same time keeping the ball from being stolen so easily while he readies a shot. It wasn't going well for the second year.

The nice thing about Hyuga's three pointers is that once it gets in, it will continue to do so until the game ends but that is where the problem arises because he hadn't been able to shoot the ball ever since they finished their warm-ups. It was all thanks to one Kuroko Tetsuya.

"Captain, could you stop glaring at me? It's terribly unsettling." Kuroko said emotionlessly.

"I find that hard to believe since you keep saying things like that with a blank expression on your face." Hyuga groused to himself before he continued to train.

As the two practiced, Izuki pestered Mitobe and Kagami with his lame puns.

"Shut up!" Kagami groaned as he threw a basketball at Izuki, knocking the joke book out of his hands. "Your jokes are horrible and they don't even make sense!"

"Hey! My jokes are funny! Right, Mitobe?" Izuki looked at his tall and silent batchmate who shook his head in response. "They're not that bad, are they?"

"They are." Koganei chirped as he picked up the joke book and threw into the nearest trash can. "Whoops!"

"Oi!" Izuki scrambled to get his book back.

Then suddenly, they were all smacked from behind by their very irritated captain. "Shut up and practice or I'll have coach triple your training tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" Immediately, everyone scrambled around to do what was assigned to them.

Kagami's eyes skimmed through the note given to him. "Leg power?"

'_Do leg exercises that will increase your endurance. Run around the school until Riko and I come back. Remember, it says run, not jog. It will not only increase your endurance but it will also increase your leg power and another skill that I will help you enhance in the future. _

_I will know if you didn't do the exercise correctly. You better do at least 35 laps before we arrive._

"I believe you should start running now." A voice said suddenly, making Kagami jump in surprise.

"Don't do that!" The tall first year glared at his classmate.

"Do what?"

"That – Oh never mind!" Kagami closed his eyes and took a deep breath before running out of the court to do the laps.

Kuroko tilted his head in confusion before he reread his note.

_You are undeniably physically weak, small and distressingly slow unless provoked. _ Kuroko slightly pouted at that. No matter how many times he reads that line, it always got on his nerves. _Your lack of a presence in the court makes you highly susceptible to on court injuries so I want you to enhance your observation skills to avoid such accidents which shouldn't be much of a problem. I also want you to –_

"Hey, speaking of which," The bluenette stopped reading immediately and looked at Hyuga. "I know he and Riko were supposed to look for an opponent for a practice match but they're taking quite a long time….."

_Slam!_ The doors were closed with a large bang.

"Ah, it seems that they're back." Izuki said as he looked back. "It looks like they're just skipping practice for today. They probably found a team."

"…..Skipping?!" Hyuga had an exasperated expression on his face before he sighed and looked up dramatically in determination. "You better be ready, everyone! If that girl is skipping practice with coach…. That means our next opponent is quite a dangerous one."

"Hehehe~" Aida skipped cheerfully as she passed by the entrance of the court.

"Ah manager…" Kuroko greeted politely. "Welcome back."

Aida smiled. "Sorry I'm late! I'll change immediately. The coach is already changing in the locker rooms by the way." She was about to walk away before her eyes brightened ever more and she looked back to add something. "Ah, just a thing."

"Coach and I got a match ready with a school that has one of the Generation of Miracles!" The brunette skipped away excitedly while she muttered about something, leaving the basketball team silenced.

"Wha?"

"Seriously?!"

"…" Kuroko's expression still stayed blank.

* * *

"Ah, look at what I found in the locker room." Tsuchida said, giving the magazine to Hyuga.

"Hm?" It was the Monthly Basketball Magazine that most of the members of the team subscribed to. On the cover, there were pictures of one of the players from the Generation of Miracles and one of the national leveled basketball players. "This issue, wasn't it released during the time Kuroko was in Teikou?"

"Oooh right! It was featuring articles about each of the players in the Generation of Miracles!" Koga recalled as he folded his uniform.

Hyuga frowned as he read through the pages. "Kuroko didn't get an article, huh? Even though you were the sixth player…. Didn't someone come to get some data?" The captain looked at the bluenette.

Kuroko thought about it for a little while before answering blankly, "Someone came but forgot about me."

'_So painful….'_ Hyuga, Tsuchida, and Koga thought, pitying the short teen. Ah, the pain of having a weak presence.

"It doesn't really matter. Someone like me is completely different from those five persons because they are true geniuses."

_Ring!_

Hyuga snapped his cell phone open and read the text message he received.

"Seems that coach is going to be a little late. He said to start without him."

The others nodded and changed into their sports attire then warmed up for training.

Meanwhile, outside of the courts, specifically at the entrance, was a blonde first year who casually walked inside of the school, admiring the campus.

"Ah, so this is Seirin." The first year student said as he looked around. "As expected from a new school, it looks nice."

While he walked around, a few girls muttered to themselves.

"Look at that guy, he looks so cool." One of them blushed.

"He's so tall!...Wait – that guy! Isn't he that model?" The other wondered out loud while trying to take a closer look at the first year.

* * *

"Since you all worked on your individual skills yesterday, let me see what you've improved on!" Aida yelled as the players started playing on the court. "I want you to be able to work well with one another on the court!"

And they did. Kuroko steals were virtually impossible to stop and his passes were exact but for some reason, the others had a hard time getting the pass. She had to observe that more carefully...

Kagami's reflexes were quicker and he moved faster. That was good.

She noticed that Hyuga was more careful and aware of his surroundings while shooting. And his shots were much more accurate than before but oddly enough, he always glares at Kuroko after every shot he does.

Izuki's passes were also accurate because of his Eagle's Eye and it seems that his stamina has improved.

Mitobe's defense was as tight as ever, Koga was still the jack of all traits, Tsuchida certainly developed his skill in catching rebounds, and the first years, Fukuda and Kawahara were also improving.

There was also Furihata, his cautiousness and levelheadedness on the court has made him control pace of the game extremely well for a few times. With more training, he can easily control the pace at will. They will certainly need someone like that in the future.

Aida mentally cheered at the good results that were appearing from the harsh training that they've been going through for the past weeks. It was hard to believe that the Basketball team was only 2 years old.

'_It's probably from having someone like Akashi-san as coach.'_ The brunette thought as she watched Kuroko pass the ball to Kagami after stealing it from Izuki. '_I never would have thought that the 'Emperor' would be our coach though! People were spreading rumors last year after the Winter Cup about him quitting basketball but no one ever knew why.'_

On the court, it was Kagami's ball. While dribbling the ball, Kagami ran forward and went past Tsuchida but the second year turned around quickly and ran after the red head.

Tsuchida was gaining on Kagami yet when the first year was near the hoop, he did a lightning-fast cut around the second year causing Tsuchida to try and catch up with the other but wasn't quick enough to do so. Then, Kagami dunked the ball into the hoop.

"Woah! So fast!" The other players said in awe.

"Nice shoot!" Izuki complimented.

"Incredible! He turned back even though he was going at full speed!?" One of the second years said, surprised. "You wouldn't think that that cut was done by a human."

"Do you think he can beat the Generation of Miracles with that?"

"It's possible!" Someone replied. "Actually, it's probably likely! That kind of move isn't something just anybody can do after all. Maybe he's even pressured them already."

Kuroko gazed at Kagami with an unreadable expression on his face. "Though I said he couldn't hold a candle to any of them….." The bluenette watched as the other wiped the sweat off his face. "...No I still don't think so…. But he does have the potential…."

While the bluenette was thinking to himself, his clubmates started wondering where the he was (Kuroko was actually just in front of them).

"Wait a minute. Where's Kuroko? We told him we'd meet him here!"

"Geez… this guy can be troublesome sometimes!"

"Kuroko! Come out!"

'…_.They didn't notice me during the match…'_ The short first year noted mentally as he listened to the others call him.

"Everyone!" Aida called out loudly to catch their attention. "Remember when I said that there would be a practice match with another school? Well it's Kaijou High we're going against."

"They won't be bad as an opponent! We'll be using all the freshmen too!"

Hyuga corrected. "Rather than bad, they might be a bit too much."

"Are they that strong?!" The first years asked.

"Hm? They're a powerful school of national class, taking part in the interhigh tournament every year." The captain explained to the surprised freshmen before looking at Aida. "But more importantly coach, what you said when you came back yesterday, were you serious?"

"What did she say?" Kagami asked, raising a brow.

"Ah, Kagami. You didn't hear?" Koga asked. "Though I guess that would explain why you haven't reacted loudly yet."

"Of course!" Aida answered before the American returnee could reply. "This year, Kaijou is one of the schools that has a player from the Generation of Miracles."

Kagami's eyes widened. '_The Generation of Miracles?!'_

Kuroko looked sharply at everyone's expressions which was luckily unnoticed.

"EEHH? Really?!" The rest yelled in disbelief.

Kagami grinned with excitement. _'To think it would happen this quickly! I'm grateful! It's raising the tension.'_

"On top of that, the guy's Kise right? Isn't he that rumored model?" Hyuga inquired as he tried to remember what he read in the magazine about the Generation of Miracles.

"Seriously? He looks good and plays basketball well! Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Incredible!"

"You can't help but envy him."

Aida sighed and shook her head at their foolishness. "Idiots…."

Unexpectedly, there was a loud chatter coming from somewhere. Since all the players were practicing inside the gym already so there shouldn't be any racket. Aida looked around to see where the noise was coming from.

When her eyes laid on the entrance of the court, she saw a large crowd of squealing and giggling girls who were holding notebooks and magazines in their hands.

"What the…?"

She followed the line and her eyes fell upon a blonde who looked flustered.

"Aaah… damn… I didn't come for this.." The tall teen muttered as he signed another magazine.

The Seirin basketball team looked at the intruders (specifically at the blonde) and widened their eyes if recognition.

"….That guy.."

Aida narrowed her eyes. '_What is a guy from the Generation of Miracles doing here?'_

The bluenette took a few steps forward and bowed in greeting. "….It has been a while."

"Kise Ryouta!" The girls screamed excitedly.

"Long time no see." Kise waved at the stoic bluenette. "I'm seriously sorry….errr…. would you mind waiting a few minutes?"

"Ah." Kuroko shook his head and gave him a look that said '_Take your time.' _By his side was Kagami who was shaking with excitement and anticipation.

'_This guy is…!'_

* * *

"…..Class dismissed!" Sighs of relief were heard the moment the professor announced those two words.

Someone rested his head on the desk. "I thought this class would never end!"

"It's going to be hard to take this make-up off!" One of the girls complained as she rubbed a wet handkerchief on her face in an attempt to clean it. "I can't believe we had to do recite a monologue and dress up as that character for today's class."

"A-a-a-ah Akashi-kun." The heterochromatic teen looked up to see a shivering girl who was dressed up as Emily from Corpse Bride. "You know you can take that mask off now."

"I prefer not to. At least, not until I meet a certain someone." Akashi replied in a polite tone but his schoolmates could sense the sadistic intent behind his kind sounding voice because of the mask he wore for his monologue.

It was the Jigsaw mask he wore that gave his intentions away. The mask looked almost exactly like the one on the movie. With the red swirls on the cheeks of the white mask, scary smile that had red paint on it and the fake black hair attached to the mask, it really looked like the real thing. He wore a black tux with a red tie and slacks to match it.

It was a plus that his eyes were already 'creepy to look at' as said by one of his friends so he got some extra points for '_creativity'_.

Akashi's other schoolmates who took the same class as him wore less frightening costumes.

One was dressed up as Alice from Alice in Wonderland, another dressed up as Woody from Toy Story and another even dressed up as Dobby from Harry Potter (complete with the rag like clothing).

Everyone was to do a monologue and dress up as the character. It was very entertaining but it took too long for everyone to dress up since they weren't allowed to go to school in their costumes already. That was the reason why they were all dismissed so late.

Akashi packed all his things at once. He already took off the tux and wore a black jacket instead sometime after he finished saying his monologue.

The red head stood up and used the hood of his jacket to hide the mask he was wearing then rushed out of the door to get to Seirin.

* * *

"Wha…why are you here?" Izuki asked as Kise massaged his aching hand from signing so many magazines.

"Well, when I heard that the next opponent was Seirin," Kise explained with a happy expression on his face. "I remembered it was the school Kurokocchi joined. So I came to say hi since we were the ones getting along the best in middle school right?" The cheery teen looked expectantly at the bluenette.

Kuroko stared at the blonde blankly. "Not particularly from what I remember."

"So mean!"

As the two continued to interact, Tsuchida pulled out the magazine he found in the locker rooms just a while ago and flipped through the pages until he saw Kise's article.

"Looked at the length of this article…"

"…..Where did you keep that?" Hyuga asked, more curious as to where he hid that magazine that its content.

In the article:

_Even though he started playing basketball in his second year of middle school, blessed with a great gift of sense and play, he became a regular in the strongest Teikou in a blink of an eye. His experience is still light compared to the other four players but he's an all rounder that keeps improving quickly._

One of the first years looked at Kise incredulously. "You've only been playing for 2 years?!"

"No, well…. This article's exaggerating, really." Kise shook his head. "I'm glad to be called one of the Generation of Miracles and all but in other words, I'm the weakest of the bunch." The blonde smiled suddenly and looked admiringly at Kuroko. "That's why Kurokocchi and I were picked on quite often, right?"

"…I wasn't particularly picked on," Kuroko said thoughtfully. "Could you please stop making up things, Kise-kun?"

The blonde's eyes became teary. "What?! I was the only one?"

Suddenly, in the midst of the happy reunion, Kise turned his head around only to see a basketball flying straight for him and he reflexively caught it.

"Wha…?" Kise unfortunately felt the pain that came with catching a fast flying object. "Ouch… Wait…. Who did that?"

"Sorry to mess up your reunion after a long time but," Kagami smirked. "You didn't come all the way here just for a greeting right? How about being my opponent for a bit?"

"Kagami!" Hyuga glared.

"Kagami-kun!" Aida snapped with a look of disapproval.

"Ehh…. But even if you say that so suddenly…." Kise frowned slightly for a few moments before a look of consideration appeared on his face. "Ah, what you just did a while ago.….Hm…. well then sure. As thanks for showing me something really good."

Kuroko's eyes widened a little when he realized the meaning behind those words before his facial expression relaxed again. This was not going have a good outcome for Kagami.

As the two walked to the court, Aida facepalmed.

"Geez!" Aida scowled at how impulsive the tall first year was. Why she ought to –

"This will turn bad." The bluenette stated from beside the manager who got surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Eh?" Was her legit reply.

The ball was with Kise who simply gazed at Kagami for a while before he ran forward while dribbling the ball. Kagami tried to catch up with the blonde but when they were at a close distance from the hoop, Kise did the same cut that the red head had done but with more speed when he turned around and jumped up, readying to dunk the ball.

Those who were watching were whispering to themselves about how it looked like the exact cut Kagami did earlier.

"That's because it is." Kuroko said to the gossiping students. "When Kise-kun has seen a play, he can make it his own in an instant." Kuroko enlightened monotonously as he watched the scene.

"What?!" Aida was shocked. '_You can't call something of that level an imitation! He perfectly made it his own! And just after watching it once?'_

'_That's the one I did earlier!'_ Kagami realized. '_But…. This guy must be kidding right?'_

The red head didn't stop there and jumped quickly to block the ball.

"Whoa! Kagami is awesome too! He reacted in time!" Someone commented.

Kuroko shook his head.

And the ball was dunked.

Kagami fell down onto the floor with a look of astonishment on his face. '_His cut was even better than mine! And there was much more power in that dunk!'_

Kise gazed at the fallen first year with apathy.

"This is the Generation of Miracles…..Kuroko… isn't your friend way to incredible?"

The bluenette commented, "You could say that I don't recognize that person anymore."

"Eh?"

"Honestly, I was thinking rather naively for a moment there as well. Even just after a few months…'' Kuroko trailed off. '_The Generation of Miracles' skills are evolving at a much faster and higher pace than I expected.'_

Kise shook the seriousness off of his face. "Hmm… but well… you know." Everyone snapped their attention at the talented blonde. "Letting that kind of occasion go… I can't go back without a greeting , y'know? So….."

"Please give me Kurokocchi." The tension rose even higher but Kise didn't pay any mind to it and looked at the bluenette with hope instead. "Come to my school! Let's play basketball together again."

Everyone immediately stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the blonde then at the bluenette incredulously.

"… WHAT?!" Many were outraged and surprised.

Kuroko only continued to stare blankly at the blonde in response.

Kise beamed. "I'm serious! I respect you a lot Kurokocchi! You're just wasting your talent in this place!"

"_I beg your pardon?"_ An icy voice echoed through the courts, causing all the students to unconsciously shiver.

"Erk!" Kise slowly turned his head at the entrance, only to be greeted by a pair of scissors flying to his direction, only missing him by a millimeter.

_Cra-ck_

One of the walls unfortunately was the victime to the flying sharp object. The freshman who happened to be just a meter away from it looked ready to faint at any given moment.

"To think that you would actually have the audacity to come to this school and then ask one of my players to leave the team to play in yours." A hooded figure appeared beside the startled model with a pair of scissors in his left hand. The man raised it at Kise's neck in a threatening manner. "You better watch your words, Ryouta."

"E-e-e-e-eeh?" Kise was too startled to understand what exactly was happening. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind coming from the opened entrance of the courts came, causing the hood of the man holding the scissors to fall and reveal the mask of Jigsaw.

"HOLY – "Kise fell down in surprise and crawled over to Kuroko to hug him to death. "Who on earth is that?!"

Kuroko did not react to the blonde's clingy actions (since he was used to it already). "Ah, this is our coach, Kise-kun."

"Wait, that's coach?!" Koga yelled out in fear. Not even the team could recognize their own coach.

"The fuckery…." Kagami grumbled at the absurdness of it all. He didn't recall anything like this happening in his former school.

As the basketball players backed away fearfully from their masked coach, Kuroko pushed the blonde away since he was already starting to block the oxygen from coming to his lungs.

'_What a strange team….'_ Kise couldn't help but think as he looked at the mixture of expressions of the students. Some had fearful ones while others had bemused expressions meaning that things like this happened quite often.

"…..Kise-kun," The blonde gazed at the bluenette. "I am honored that you think about me this way but…." The copy cat model started to get teary eyed.

"I have to humbly refuse that proposal." Kuroko bowed politely as he said this, making Kise slightly embarrassed.

"Doesn't it sound weird in that context!?" Kise couldn't help but smile a little at the bluntness of his former teammate before he became serious again. "But wait – This is not like you! Wasn't winning everything for you? Why didn't you go to a stronger school?"

"My thinking has changed since that time." Kuroko said.

"Was it because of what happened?" A solemn expression appeared on Kise's face. It seemed so out of place on the cheery teen. "Look – Haizaki's never going to – "

"It has nothing to do with that." There was a sad tone in that sentence. "More importantly, I already made a promise with Kagami-kun."

"Hm?"

"A promise, to beat the Generation of Miracles."

Kise raised his brow at the shorter teen. "It's not like you at all…. To say jokes at all. And that's not a very good one might I add."

"Haha!" Kagami let out a laugh of amusement. '_So this is the Generation of Miracles! It's awesome… seriously..'_

"Damn what the hell," Kagami whacked Kuroko. "Don't go stealing my lines Kuroko!" '_To think that there's still four stronger guys out there!'_

"The fact that I'm not good at jokes," The bluenette continued. "Has not changed since then. I'm quite serious."

From behind Kise, Akashi requested in a threatening manner, "Now that you have your answer, how about you leave?"

The blonde immediately ran but before that he waved his goodbye at Kuroko who nodded.

"Ah and Ryouta! Do tell you coach, Genta, I said hello." Akashi called out before he turned around to look at the team and took of his mask. "And Kagami – "

The tension was back with full force. "Yes?" Kagami sweatdropped.

"50 laps around the court – And make sure to finish all that in half an hour since I want you to work on your defense after that. The rest of you – "A wicked smirk appeared on his face.

The team looked at one another with the same thoughts. '_See you all in hell.'_

* * *

"Coach will be late again!" Aida announced. "He'll be 5-10 minutes late."

"Alright." Hyuga nodded with the others before they continued to walk to Kaijou High. "You all remember the plan guys?"

"Yep!" Koganei chirped.

"As clear as the day." Izuki said as he hid his joke book in his bag. "Though I can't believe how sure he was about that…."

"Well, they say his plans are sometimes a little outrageous but they always go according to plan so," Hyuga paused for a while. "We have to trust it. And that's only for the start of the match. The rest of the game, he'll tell us what to do when we're there."

Once they reached Kaijou high, they already saw where the gyms because the size.

"Oooh, so big!" The captain commented. "The energy they put in the sports club here is really on a different level."

From behind him, Kagami yawned for umpteenth time that morning.

"Ah, your eyes seem worse than usually…" Kuroko noticed.

"Shut up," Kagami replied as rubbed his eyes. "I was too fired up last night and wasn't able to sleep. "

"Are you supposed to be like some gradeschooler before a field trip?" Before Kagami could reply, a familiar figure appeared before them with a grin on his face.

"It's Kise!"

"Hi! I'll be counting on you guys today!" The copy cat greeted. "Since this place is big, I've come to lead you to the gym." He said to Aida and Hyuga before looking at Kuroko with a pained expression. "Kurokocchi….ever since you turned be down so easily, I've been crying myself to sleep!" He clung to the impassive bluenette as he said those words.

"Not a single girl has turned me down you know?" Kise added making Kuroko sigh.

"Would you stop saying things like, Kise-kun?"

"That's why," The blonde continued, gazing at Kagami. "Since Kurokocchi is willing to say much about you…. I'm a bit interested. I'm not really obsessed with the name 'Generation of Miracles' but...If you're willing to pick up a fight that much, even someone like me is no man to let that slide."

"Sorry but I'll have to seriously take you down." Kise finished with a challenging tone.

"Heh!" Kagami grinned with determination in response.

Once they reached the gym, Kise opened the doors and let them in first. Aida looked inside.

"…Wait a minute!" She looked pissed at what she saw. Hyuga went beside her and also had the same expression on his face.

"We're only playing _HALF-COURT_?"

The Seirin team walked in (most of them with sour faces).

"They're practicing already in the other half." Fukuda pointed out. He looked at the empty court and noticed the hoop. "Isn't that board past its expiration date..?"

The coach, Takeuchi Genta, saw them. "Aah, you're here. Nice to meet you. We'll only be playing half court, I hope you don't mind."

'_Hope we don't mind….?'_ If looks could kill, Kaijou's coach would've died on that spot.

"Nice to meet you too." Aida replied politely while trying to keep her expression calm. "Err, what might you mean?"

"It's just like what you see. Today's match is just a warm-up for our team but the club members that won't play won't see anything worth learning by just watching so…" The coach pointed at the net, separating the two courts. "In order not to waste their time, the other members are going to practice as usual."

"But even though I said that it's a warm up, it's still our regular members. Please don't get yourselves defeated by triple the points."

The veins on Hyuga and Aida looked ready to pop and most of the other members were scowling venomously at the coach of Kaijou.

Even Kuroko's usually blank face had a tinge of annoyance.

'_They are making fun of us…_'Kagami was fuming. '_In other words, we're just 'an opponent for them to use to train themselves in their spare time'._'

Somewhere near the benches, Kise was putting on his uniform but was stopped by Takeuchi.

"Hm? Why are you putting your uniform?" The coach asked. "Kise, you won't play!"

"Eh?" The blonde looked at him in surprise.

"Even in our school, that gathers aces from all middle schools, you're on a completely different level!''

Kise gestured for the man to stop. "Wait coach, stop saying things like that. Seriously!"

"It's already unfair with the other regulars playing. If you play too, it won't even be a match!" With that said, he walked away, leaving Kise apologizing to Seirin who was growing more and more annoyed.

"Sorry! I'm seriously sorry!" The model apologized. "Don't worry! I'll still be on the bench. If you just knock this guy of his high pedestal." He pointed at his coach whose back was turned. "I'll probably play! Also, sorry if this sounds selfish but – "

"If you can't even make me play in this match, you'll have no right saying you want to take down the Generation of Miracles."

Kagami's eyes glared slightly while Kuroko simply stared blankly.

"Hey Seirin! I'll show you the locker rooms!" Kaijou's coach called out.

Kuroko turned around to follow but couldn't help but respond to what Kise said. "Please stay up; you won't have to wait up that long."

Aida looked at Kaijou's coach and bowed. "Excuse me… I think it'll be a little impossible for it to be a warm-up."

"_Because I don't think you'll be able to afford holding back._" Kuroko and Aida said in chorus with determined eyes as they left the court.

"What?" Takeuchi looked back and beside him, Kise was smirking. "Youngsters these days, they're always being disrespectful! That coach of theirs even called me by my first name yesterday!"

"Ah, that girl isn't their coach." Kise said as he remembered relaying that message of greeting from the masked figure to his coach yesterday. "That's their manager... though, I don't know where their coach is really."

* * *

"Well then let's start!" A student from Kaijou yelled loudly. "The practice match between Seirin and Kaijou is about to begin!"

Five members from each of the teams walked to the court while doing some extra stretching.

"Hm? I said we're starting… Seirin, would you mind getting your fifth player on the court quickly?" One of them asked politely.

"Ah, we are five." Kuroko said, appearing out of nowhere beside the student who asked.

"WAH?" Kaijou yelled out in surprise. How long has he been there?

From the other side of the court, the basketball players stopped practicing to take a closer look at Seirin.

"Woah, what the hell is this guy? Is he really a starting member?"

"He's invisible or something."

The starting members of Kaijou were also thinking the same thing.

'_I didn't even notice him in front of my eyes.'_ Kasamatsu, the captain of Kaijou, was slightly alarmed.

'_Such a gloomy guy… oh well, that means we only have to worry about that number 10'_ Kobori, the center, thought with a bemused look.

'_Wait can that guy actually play basketball?'_ Moriyama wondered in his head.

"Ridiculous…" Kaijou's coach complained. "With all that big talk, I thought you were going to let more decent players play."

"I wonder about that…" Kise smiled from beside the coach. "Though, he might not be a decent one exactly."

On the Seirin's bench, Aida was looked like she was about to hyperventilate.

"What's wrong manager?" Tsuchida asked.

'_Hmmm….'_ Her eyes gazed at the high school students of Kaijou and was greatly overwhelmed by the high physical strength they had. Her ability to scan people's physical attributes was useful but…. '_Wait… this isn't good at all…..'_

'_I can't see everything because of their clothes but their stats are high altogether! We might be completely losing in the physical_ _side_.' Aida thought worriedly. '_Honestly, this should be expected from a national level team. But we've got Kagami and Kuroko on our side…. How much can we use those two's abilities?'_

"Remember the plan Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked as he went into position.

"Yup..." Kagami grinned, ready to show them all that they shouldn't have underestimated their team.

The game began with a tip off and Kobori managed to pass the ball to Kasamatsu, the point guard. It was Kaijou's ball.

"Alright!" Kasamatsu said as he caught the ball. "Let's start by scoring one, let's do it properly." He was about to run but the ball was suddenly stolen from him.

"Wha – " He got a short glimpse of Kuroko suddenly running past him with the ball dribbling in his hands.

"WHAAT?"The surprised player looked at the bluenette in shock. '_Where did this guy come from?!_' He didn't have time to wonder about that, he had to get the ball back!

He turned and ran after Kuroko and was able to catch up to him quickly. '_Wait, now that I look at him…. This guy's pretty slow.'_

Suddenly, Kuroko stopped running abruptly and passed it to Kagami who happened to be at the other side of Kasamatsu.

"Ah!" '_That pass – How did he do that without me noticing?'_ He moved his arm forward in an attempt to steal the ball from Kagami but it was too late. The red head ran towards the basket and dunked the ball into the hoop without any problem.

_THUMP!_

When Kagami dunked the ball into the hoop with amazing strength, he did not notice that he destroyed the goal. As he fell back down onto the ground, he stared at it. "Huh? Didn't know it would actually work."

"OOEEH?!" Was the immediate reaction from those who were watching.

"WHAT THE? HE DESTROYED THE GOAL!"

"The bolt was completely rusted." Fukuda reminded.

"That's still not normal you know!" Someone replied outrageously.

"….." Kaijou's coach and even Seirin's manager was shocked speechless at what just happened.

"Trust the coach to know that something like this would happen." Hyuga muttered with a slightly amused expression on his face. "I would've thought he had something to do with the rusted bolt."

While everyone was concentrated on the broken goal, they didn't notice a certain college student enter the court with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Hm, it seems that the goal is broken," A cool voice said from Seirin's bench. Aida and the team snapped their heads at him and greeted,

"Hey coach!"

"You're late!"

"Didn't I say he was going to be late?"

"Well I'm here now anyway," Akashi said before he looked at the sweatdropping coach of Kaijou with a smile of insolence. "It's been a while, hasn't it Genta?"

"Wha-what…. Wait a minute – You're coaching Seirin?!" The coach looked like he was going to faint.

"Ah, didn't you read the article a few weeks ago? Well, I didn't specify exactly what school I was coaching now did I? Seems that you didn't read the other magazines but oh well~ now you know!" The red head couldn't help but continue to smile. "It will certainly be interesting now! Let's see how much has changed between now and last year."

Kaijou's coach shook his head. "You haven't changed at all."

"Akashi Seijuro…." Kasamatsu stared in astonishment at the sudden appearance of the student.

"Ah, Yukio. I haven't seen you since last year's interhigh." Akashi remembered what exactly happened during Kaijou's match last year. "Congratulation on being captain by the way. I hope we'll be able to play a good game."

'_Sometimes I forget that he's only older than us by 2-3 years, meaning he was still playing in the Winter Cup and Interhigh last year.'_ Aida thought as she listened to the young coach. '_We didn't go against his team last year but we know of him since he made quite a name for himself. He was as famous as the Generation of Miracles.'_

"Well, what now Kuroko?" Kagami asked as put the dislocated hoop in front of his face. "Hm, the hoop's actually bigger than I thought."

Kuroko caught the glance of Akashi and then replied to Kagami, "What now…. First we have to apologize and then..." The two first years looked at the coach with Kuroko bowing politely.

"Sorry, it seems we may have broken the goal. Would you mind if we use the other half of the court?" The bluenette asked courteously while Kagami swung the goal around his arm.

Kise grinned in anticipation. This was going to be a fun game.

**Chapter End.**

**OMAKE**

"Coach, I have a question." Akashi looked up from his spot and gestured for the student to continue.

"You explained that you were wearing that costume for your English class so your course has something to do with English right?"

"No it doesn't." Akashi answered.

"Eh? Then why are you taking that class?"

"I am taking it because I want to."

"What's your major, coach?"

"You need not know that." The student walked back the locker rooms and told everyone the red head's answer.

Aida stood up. "Alright everyone! Our mission is to find out that man's course/major or what have you!"

"...Why?" Kuroko asked.

"Aren't you curious as well Kuroko?"

"I am but..."

"Then everyone's in it!"

"..."

**OMAKE 2**

"Coach, how did you know about the rusted bolt?!" Hyuga asked.

"I just do." The captain's eye twitched.

'_That's the same annoying answer Kuroko gave me when I asked him about his steals!'_

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**Replies to Anonymous Reviews**

**kuromickey:** Heheheh, that's something you have to find out. Who is the captain of the Generation of Miracles?Thank you for the review!

**Guest:** I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! More AkaKuro moments are on their way! Thank you for the review!

**Guest:** Make the GoM fall for Kuroko to make Aka-kun jealous? Maybe! That's an idea xD Thank you for the review!

**Guest: **I'm glad the characterization is alright. Hopefully more information on Rakuzan's personalities will come out soon so that I can write them better xD The GoM are appearing one by one as you have noticed in this chapter! I try to make it kind of canon and a little AU at the same time since Akashi's no longer in the GOM. Why did he leave? Find out next time! Thank you for the review!

**Meww: **I'm happy to know that you're enjoying the fic! I try to make the OMAKES as good as I can make them. And here's the update! Till next time~ Thank you for the review!

**Guest: **Ah the captain, that information is something you have to find out by yourself xD There will be clues and hints that will be scattered around, starting from the AN below! And thank you for the review!

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A lot of you guys are wondering about the GoM's captain. Well... I'll ask you all a question,

Is it _necessary_ for a team to have an official captain? (I'm referring to the GoM not to the general audience)


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